Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cultivar Soul.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Kalanchoe plant, botanically known as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Soulxe2x80x99.
The new Kalanchoe is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark. The objective of the breeding program was to create new early-flowering Kalanchoe cultivars with bright and attractive flower colors and good postproduction longevity.
The new Kalanchoe originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark of two unidentified proprietary selections of Kalanchoe, not patented. The new Kalanchoe was discovered and selected by the Inventor within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Odense, Denmark. The selection of this plant was based on its flower color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Kalanchoe by terminal cuttings taken at Odense, Denmark, by the Inventor, has shown that the unique features of this new Kalanchoe are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Soul has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Soulxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Soulxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact and upright plant habit.
2. Freely flowering habit.
3. Light purple-colored flowers.
4. Dark green leaves.
5. Good postproduction longevity.
Plants of the new Kalanchoe differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in flower color.
Plants of the new Kalanchoe can be compared to plants of the cultivar Light Jaqueline, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,268. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Odense, Denmark, plants of the new Kalanchoe differed from plants of the cultivar Light Jaqueline in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Kalanchoe were more compact than plants of the cultivar Light Jaqueline.
2. Plants of the new Kalanchoe had smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Light Jaqueline.
3. Plants of the new Kalanchoe were more freely flowering than plants of the cultivar Light Jaqueline.
4. Flower color of plants of the new Kalanchoe was more purple than flower color of plants of the cultivar Light Jaqueline.